I'm considering starting domp so I wanna ask some questions to someone with experience with it.
how often, if at all, do you need to pump to keep milk supply up?
how often should I expect to need to pump due to having full breasts?
what range of milk volume should I expect to produce each day?
lastly, is there any info I should know before starting?
if you do not want to answer these questions, I ask you to direct me to someone and/or some resource(s) to answer these questions instead.
the shortest answer to a lot of these questions is that it will depend a lot on how developed your breasts are, and how often you express. the first time i went on domperidone i expressed a lot and produced little because my breasts weren't ready for that, the second time they produced a lot more, but my breasts are on the reluctant side in terms of milk production; some folks find themselves leaking lots, whether that happens will come down to genetics.
those doing this to feed a newborn are advised to express as often as they would expect to need to a newborn child. that's every two hours, and at least once during the night! your breasts will respond to having the milk removed by producing more, so the more you express, the more you will produce, and the less you express the more your supply will drop off. i have done the every two hours and middle of the night routine and it was hard to keep up, the second time around, i expressed five times a day and not in the night.
tenderness in your breasts will be at its peak first thing in the morning (especially if you don't do a middle of the night expression), and around the times you would normally express. it's better to have a routine than it is to wait for a signal from your body.
how much you'll produce is entirely up to factors that i can't calculate a range for you. it's basically a mix of genetics, how developed your breasts are, and how often you express. the first time i went on domperidone, i didn't make more than five ounces a day (doing 8 expression sessions a time). the second time, i peaked at 22 ounces (doing 4-5 expressions a day).
stuff you might not think of is that the process causes some breast growth and that will make you *Hungry*. the milk you make will have to come from somewhere, and if you don't eat generously, your body will consume itself to produce the milk, and won't be able to make as much. if you want the process to work you have to eat more, and you will put on weight. i don't think that's a problem so much, but if you're waiting for surgical transition care, doctors may be bastards about it.
i'm always happy to talk about the process, so if you have more questions, my ask box is open.